What happened to the questions in the Watchtower and why?

by Listener 18 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  blondie

  I am most surprised about the short supply of elders. I guess this is one reason why they started allowing single borthers to serve.

  As far as I know being married was never a WTS requirement for elders. Sounds like you were never a jw but belonged to a religion that does restrict single men. What is noteworthy, at least in my area, they have appointed an alcoholic and wife abuser as well as other men they never would have in the past.

  In the almost 50 years I was in the WTS, many single men were appointed elders, as well as circuit and district overseers and students of the Ministerial Training School (which does require singleness).

  As far as there being a lot of pedophiles at the book studies, it is just as likely that molesting will take place apart from the KH or book studies, whereas connections with children can be made at either.

  Based on my experience with the elders searching for private homes (jws either did not want to "volunteer" becase people destroyed property, stole things, or it invaded their home time twice a week, or the ones that volunteered with not "in good standing".

  So now instead of 4 or 5 elders (or more) having to prepare (ha) and conduct a book study each week, only one, and instead of trying to find a "qualified reader" for each, only one.
• 

  Chalam

  Listener So Stephen, are you saying that we can all benefit from the holy spirit in understanding the bible and things not normally understood by others but we must first bebaptized?

  Only the Holy Spirit brings understanding from the bible. Without Him it seems like foolishness.

  The Holy Sprit brings new life, one is "born from above". In Christ, we are a new creation.

  2 Corinthians 5:17 (New International Version)

  17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

  Titus 3:3-7 (New International Version)

  3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

  Also, the Spirit is a guarantee, a down payment on what is to come

  Ephesians 1:13-14 (New International Version)

  13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

  2 Corinthians 5:5 (New International Version)

  5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

  Here's how.

  1 Corinthians 15:1-5 (New International Version)

  The Resurrection of Christ

  1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

  3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.

  Blessings,

  Stephen
• 

  Listener

  There is much to be learnt about the outreaching power of the holy spirit, especially as it relates in our times (as opposed to biblical times).

  As far as I know being married was never a WTS requirement for elders. Sounds like you were never a jw but belonged to a religion that does restrict single men. What is noteworthy, at least in my area, they have appointed an alcoholic and wife abuser as well as other men they never would have in the past.

  I don't know if it was a requirement as such but I never knew one elder who was single and there appeared to be an understanding that an elder would be married, there were many ministerial servants who were single.

  What a sad state of affairs when a wife abuser and alcoholic are appointed as elders.
• 

  Ding

  Listener's original post included the following:

  "I was told that it was in preparation of Armageddon so that individuals could become more independant and have more time to establish their relationship directly with Jehovah. This was because the GB felt people were relying on the organization too much in providing their spiritual needs and with Armageddon it may be that JWs will not be able to access the support network that they currently have."

  I think we can safely say that the LAST thing the GB wants is for JWs to be more independent.

  They don't think anyone can rely on the organization too much.

  They want every JW 100% dependent on the organization for everything.
• 

  bob1999

  "So Stephen, are you saying that we can all benefit from the holy spirit in understanding the bible and things not normally understood by others but we must first bebaptized?"

  I'm not sure about Stephen but I think that's exactly what Christ is saying.

  Peace
• 

  Ding

  << How, then, are we to understand Jesus’ words about “this generation”? He evidently meant that the lives of the anointed who were on hand when the sign began to become evident in 1914 would overlap with the lives of other anointed ones who would see the start of the great tribulation. >>

  Or, much more likely, Jesus wasn't prophesying anything at all, just describing the characteristics of a trustworthy servant.

  Given that the 607 BCE date is off by 20 years, we know that 1914 isn't what the WTBTS claims it to be.
• 

  WTWizard

  To bring you up to date:

  In 2006, they reduced the Asleep! rag to once a month.

  In September 2007, they came up with a Kingdumb Misery article totally trashing independent thinking. Among this, they told the witlesses that they could not study the Bible on its own independently or in small groups (the first sign of something coming). Also, they could not use independent sources to research the Not Well Translated Bible or the littera-trash, or the validity of the doctrines. Along this time, they reiterated that, even if you could prove a doctrine or teaching wrong using their own Bible, you still had to abide by and teach the bad doctrine until they themselves fixed it.

  2008: They split the Washtowel rag. Now, on the first, you get the Showcase edition. This one is for distribution to the public, and contains no study articles. It is the bait to make people think the religion is pretty much normal, but with high moral standards. On the 15th, you get the Kool-Aid edition. This one is not to be distributed to the public, and contains the teachings the witlesses actually have to abide by. This is where you find the study articles, with all the questions. You have to go to the Kingdumb Hell, or download them online, to access these rags.

  2009: They segued the book study with the midweek boasting session. They cited "high gas prices", but it was more an attempt to take every last bit of joy out of the boasting sessions. Compressing them limits the opportunity to give comments that require thinking. It also prevents people from studying in small groups, going along with the Kingdumb Misery in September 2007.

  2010: They ditched the song book for a smaller one. Now, there are only 135 songs instead of 225. They are shorter, and much worse in quality, than the old ones were. They are more to worship the men leading the religion now, with Jesus all but removed. They are difficult to sing and sound good--when sung as written, many people compare the singing to dying cats and cult chants.

  Upcoming: The Value Destroyer Training School (officially, Ministerial Training School) is going to be split into 2 "schools(??)". One is as before, but there will be an identical one for married couples (of course, the "sisters" will spend much of the time in field circus while their husbands are attending "classes(??)". They are also planning on giving the hounder-hounder-hounders more supervision, with his own hounder coming in to make sure he stays on The Track while giving talks at a$$emblies.
• 

  cameo-d

  Listener: Could someone please advise why the questions for public study on a Sunday are no longer in the Watchtower?

  Evidently, the WT feels that they have already answered all the questions anyone could possibly have. Oh, and by the way, from what I gather, you are only allowed to ask questions BEFORE you are baptised. After baptism, questions are frowned upon.
• 

  Listener

  Thanks WTWizard, I would be interested to know what WT article that was in, I just downloaded the watchtower library 2009 so if you could give me a search word idea I could look it up.

  I can see how dropping the midweek private study would help reduce the amount of one on one discussions and also small group discussions outside the publications as this indeed used to occur. It was the only study each week where I noticed others more intense on their own understanding of the bible, it allowed them to think a little and often led to further questions when the official meeting finished.